It is with much pleasure that the Board of Governors announce that Gunnar Lindahl has been appointed as the new VATSIM President (VATGOV1) for the next two years.

Gunnar lives near London, UK where he works in the railway industry. Gunnar was introduced to VATSIM in May 2006 by a friend and became a regular pilot in the UK and Europe before training as a Controller in the VATUK Division, reaching the C3 rating on London Control a few years later.

He managed one of the local ATC training schemes in the UK for two years before being appointed VATUK's Division Director for three years. Gunnar was appointed to the Board of Governors as VP Supervisors in August 2014 before moving into the role as VP Marketing & Communications in 2016.

Gunnar has presented the Board of Governors with a clear vision to grow the Network and make it better for our members. This vision will help develop a strategic plan in the next few months with actions underway in January 2018.

This is an exciting time for VATSIM as we enter a new phase of growth and leadership.

The Board of Governors wishes to thank outgoing President, Kyle Ramsey. Kyle has served on the BoG for a total of 10 years, four months and has held the positions of VP Virtual Airlines and Special Operations, VP Pilot Training and VP Operations before his appointment as VATSIM President in August 2015. It’s amazing to think that Kyle has been on the BoG for over two thirds of the time VATSIM has existed. We wish Kyle all the best for his retirement and look forward to seeing him with time to enjoy the Network as a Pilot and Controller.

The VATSIM President is appointed in accordance with Article §2.03 of the VATSIM Code of Regulations and is elected by a majority vote of the Board of Governors and upon his or her election, will serve a term of two years.